Continuous Round Baler With Pickup

ABSTRACT

In an example embodiment, a continuous baler includes a round baler and a pickup conveyor for providing crop to the round baler. The pickup conveyor may include a conveyor belt and a controller for manipulating the conveyor belts. In one example embodiment, the speed of the conveyor is adjusted in accordance with the operation of the baler.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority benefit to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/230,381, entitled “Combine Harvester and Baler For BiomassCollection,” filed Jul. 31, 2009 which is incorporated by referenceherein. This application is related to U.S. Non-Provisional PatentApplication entitled “Continuous Round Baler” (Attorney Docket No.A-1009H) and U.S. Patent Application entitled “Round Baler With VariableSpeed Baling Mechanism” (Attorney Docket No.: A-1012H) both of which areentirely incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

A conventional round baler is typically pulled through a field by atractor where it gathers crop material, such as windrowed hay, and formsthe crop material into a bale. The baler typically includes a pickup forgathering the crop material and providing it to an adjacent balingchamber where the crop material is formed into a bale.

The baler has three general operational cycles: a bale-forming cycle; abale-wrapping cycle, and a bale-ejecting cycle. During the bale formingcycle, the baler is pulled through the field and the pickup providescrop material to the baling chamber. The baling chamber operates formingbelts to form the received crop material into a bale. Once the bale isfully formed and the bale-forming cycle complete, the operator stopspulling the baler through the field, stops the pickup to cease providingcrop material to the baling chamber, and begins the bale wrapping cycle.Typically the bale is wrapped using an automated mechanism while thetractor is idle. Once the wrapping cycle is complete, the bale-ejectingcycle begins in which the wrapped bale is ejected from the baler. Afterejection of the wrapped bale, the operator once again starts pulling thebaler through the field and restarts the pickup to again provide cropmaterial to the baling chamber, and restarts the bale forming belts ofthe baling chamber during a new bale-forming cycle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of an example embodiment of a continuous roundbaler having a pickup conveyor being pulled by a tow vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic of an example embodiment of a continuous roundbaler having a pickup conveyor.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an example embodiment of a pickupconveyor arrangement.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an example embodiment of a cropgathering end of a pickup conveyor arrangement.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of an example embodiment of a crop gatheringend of a pickup conveyor arrangement.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic drawing of an example embodiment of anelectronic control system of the continuous baler of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of an example embodiment of a controlconsole at a vehicle that is accessible by an operator when towing theround baler of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram of an example method of providing cropmaterial to a round baler.

FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram of an example method of providing cropmaterial to a round baler.

FIG. 10 shows a flow diagram of an example method of a continuous roundbaler.

FIGS. 11A-11L show the operation of a continuous round baler inaccordance with an example embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS Overview

In an example embodiment, a continuous round baler gathers crop materialand bales the crop material into bales. The baler may be manipulated tocontinuously gather crop material and convey the crop material to thebaler in accordance with a predetermined scheme. In one exampleembodiment, the crop material may be provided to a baling chamber of thebaler during bale-forming operations and gathered and accumulated duringnon-bale-forming operations. This eliminates the stoppage of the baler'smovement through the field and allows for the continuous collection ofcrop material without the stoppage associated with prior art balers.Although in the example embodiment the baler is shown gatheringwindrowed crop, such as hay, the term “crop material” is intended toinclude grain and material other than grain (MOG). For example, thecontinuous baler may be used for baling hay or biomass material such ascorn cobs or the like.

In one example embodiment, a pickup conveyor is configured to gathercrop material, accumulate the crop material, and convey the cropmaterial to a baling chamber of the baler. The pickup conveyor maycomprise a variable speed conveyor configured to receive crop andprovide the crop material to a baling chamber, and a pickup headerpositioned adjacent the variable speed conveyor to gather crop materialand provide the crop material to the variable speed conveyor. The speedof the pickup conveyor may be varied (i.e., stopped, started, sped up,slowed down and/or reversed) in accordance with a predetermined scheme,such as in accordance with the operational cycles of the baler. Acontroller may be provided for manipulating the speed of the variablespeed conveyor in accordance with the predetermined scheme. For example,the controller may manipulate the conveyor to feed crop material to thebaling chamber when the baler is in a bale-forming operation and toaccumulate the crop material on the conveyor during non-bale-formingoperations. A user interface may also be provided for receivingoperating instructions from an operator of the continuous baler and forcontrolling certain functions of the baler and the pickup conveyor inaccordance with the operating instructions.

In an example embodiment, the pickup conveyor may comprise a pickupheader configure for mounting to a tongue, and the variable speedconveyor may comprise one or more conveyor belts rotatably coupled to avariable speed drive roll. A variable speed motor may be provided forpowering the pickup and/or the conveyor. The motor may be controlled bythe controller through various solenoid(s), flow control valve(s),and/or other means to vary the speed and direction of the motor and thusthe speed and direction of movement of the pickup and/or conveyor beltsand thereby manipulate the gathering of crop material and the conveyanceof the crop material to a baling chamber of the baler.

The pickup device may be coupled to a tongue used to pull the baler sothat the pickup can contact the ground to gather crop material andprovide the crop material to the baling chamber of the baler. In anexample embodiment, a forward or feed end of the conveyor may bepositioned adjacent the pickup so that the crop material gathered by thepickup is provided to the conveyor.

A rear or outlet end of the conveyor may be positioned adjacent an inletof the baler so that the crop material provided by the pickup to theconveyor may be fed into the baling chamber for baling when the conveyoris run in a feed direction. While the example embodiments are discussedin the context of a belt conveyor, one of skill in the art willrecognize that other conveyor arrangements may be used, such as an augerconveyor or chain conveyor as known in the art, and the term “conveyor”is intended to incorporate these alternative arrangements.

This arrangement allows for the continuous gathering of crop materialand continuous movement of the baler through the field. This arrangementalso allows for the operation of the baler in accordance with apredetermined scheme, such as the feeding of the crop material to abaling chamber during a bale-forming operation of the baler, andaccumulating the crop material during non-bale-forming operations of thebaler.

One example method comprises: continuously gathering crop material;conveying the crop material in a feed direction to a baling chamber of abaler during a bale-forming operation of the baler; and conveying thecrop material in a non-feed direction during a non-bale-formingoperation of the baler. For example, a crop conveyor may be run in afeed direction during bale-forming operations and when the bale-formingoperation is complete, the conveyor may be run in a reverse direction.In an example embodiment, the conveyor is run in reverse to reset theconveyor to an initialized condition and move crop material from theoutput end of the conveyor adjacent an inlet of the baling chamber to areceiving end of the conveyor adjacent the pickup. The example methodmay further include conveying the crop material in the feed directionduring the non-bale forming operation of the baler. For example, oncethe conveyor is reset to an initial condition the conveyor may be run ina feed direction to move the crop material to the baling chamber.

In an example embodiment, the conveyor is run at a speed such that thecrop material on the conveyor is accumulated on the conveyor but is notfed into the baling chamber during the non-bale-forming mode. In oneexample embodiment the conveyor is run at a speed such that cropmaterial is placed adjacent the baling chamber as the baler reenters thebale-forming operation. In other words, the conveyor is run at a speedsuch that a point on the conveyor at the receiving or input end of theconveyor at the beginning of the non-bale forming operation is moved tothe output end of the conveyor, i.e., the amount of time it takes apoint on the conveyor to move across the length of the conveyorcoincides with the amount of time it takes the baler to complete thenon-bale forming operation, referred to as a coincident speed. Thisallows the crop material to be accumulated on the conveyor andpositioned for entry into the baling chamber as soon as bale-formingoperations are resumed.

Another example method comprises: continuously gathering crop material;providing the crop material to a variable speed conveyor; running theconveyor in a feed direction at a first speed during a bale formingoperation of a baler to feed the crop material to a baling chamber ofthe baler; running the conveyor in a second direction during a non-baleforming operation of the baler; and running the conveyor in the feeddirection to provide the crop material to the baling chamber. In theexample embodiments, the non-bale forming operation may comprise a balewrapping and/or a bale ejection operation, but could include otheroperations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, example embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein. The various embodiments are meant to be non-limiting examples ofvarious ways of implementing the invention and it will be understoodthat the invention may be embodied in alternative forms. The presentinvention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like elementsthroughout the several figures, and in which example embodiments areshown. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may beexaggerated or minimized to show details of particular elements, whilerelated elements may have been eliminated to prevent obscuring novelaspects. The specific structural and functional details disclosed hereinshould not be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto variously employ the present invention.

Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a continuous baler10 that comprises a baler 12 and a pickup conveyor 14. The pickupconveyor 14 gathers crop material 16 and provides the crop material 16to the baler 12 (as shown by small arrow) for forming into a bale 20. Atractor 22, or other vehicle, may be used to pull the baler 12 through afield as indicated by the large arrow in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pickup conveyor 14 may include both a pickupdevice 18 and a conveyor 90 and may be incorporated as part of the roundbaler 12. The baler 12 may be generally similar to traditional roundbalers such as that produced by Agco Corporation, such as the 5500 and900 series round balers manufactured by Agco Corporation including theHesston 5545, 5556, 5556A, and 5546 balers; however, the invention maybe incorporated as a part of other types of baling equipment such asfixed chamber balers, etc. Other details of round balers which may beused with the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,337,713; 6,675,561; and 6,477,824.

As seen in the example embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the round baler 12may include a lower drive roll 24 and a starting roll 26. Above thelower drive roll is an upper drive roll 28. Pivotally mounted within thebaler is a belt tension arm 30 to which are pivotally mounted the frontbelt tension roll 32 and the rear belt tension roll 34. At the top ofthe front portion of the bale chamber is a front upper idler roll 36 anda rear upper idler roll 38. Following the interior of the baler wallaround clockwise, there is a tailgate belt roll 40 a lower rear tailgateroll 44, and front lower idler roll 46. A bale density arm 48 ispivotally mounted within the baler and has a front bale density roll 50and a rear bale density roll 52, both pivotally mounted on the distalend from the pivotal mounting of the bale density arm 48. Near the topof the bale chamber above the bale density rolls is depicted an upperbale chamber roll 54. A plurality of bale forming belts 56 are threadedaround each of the above identified rolls as depicted in FIG. 2. Thebale forming belts are tensioned by the front and rear belt tensionrolls 32, 34, mounted on the belt tension arm 30 and the rolls 50, 52mounted on the bale density arm 48.

The example baler includes a tailgate 58 that opens and closes around apivot point 60. A bale kicker assembly 62 (shown schematically) isassociated with the tailgate. The bale kicker assembly 62 includes abale push bar 64 (depicted in its home position) and two hydrauliccylinders (not shown). The bale kicker is used to prevent contactbetween the tailgate 58 and the bale when the tailgate 58 is closing.After the tailgate rises, hydraulic pressure is applied to the base endof the kicker hydraulic cylinders. The bale push bar 64 rises upward andrearward pushing the bale away from the tailgate before the tailgatecloses. After the tailgate 58 is closed the kicker 62 is returned to itshome position.

A baler control system may include a controller 70 positioned on or nearthe round baler 12 and a user interface 500 (FIG. 7) preferablypositioned on the tractor 22 or other vehicle towing the baler 12.Although the controller 70 and the user interface 500 are preferablyseparate components, their functions could also be combined into asingle unit positioned either on the baler 12 or its towing vehicle 22.The controller 70 may receive data from a variety of different sensorsand in response issue commands to effectuate various operations of thebaler 12 and/or the pickup conveyor 14. The controller 70 may be used tocontrol the operation of the baler 12, including its various operationalcycles, such as the bale forming, bale wrapping, and bale ejectingcycles, and the operation of the variable speed crop conveyor 14. Forexample, a bale size sensor 68 (shown schematically) may determine thesize of the bale 20 in the baling chamber and provide a correspondingsignal to the controller 70 and the user interface 500. For example, thebale size sensor 68 may be provided on the density arm 48 and detect theangular position of the bale density arm and send signals to theelectronic control system to indicate the bale size during the baleforming cycle. The controller 70 may then determine the desiredoperational cycle for the baler 12 and the desired operation of thepickup conveyor 14.

The baler 12 can also include tailgate switches 80 (shown schematically)that detect the position of the tailgate 58 opened or closed, kickerswitches 82 (shown schematically) that detect the position of the kicker62 whether out or home, and latch switches 84 (shown schematically) thatdetect whether the tailgate 58 is latched. The tailgate 80 and kickerswitches 82 may cause signals to be sent to the controller 70 indicatingthe status of the elements to which they are connected.

In addition to the elements described above, the baler 12 can include avariable speed drive system (FIG. 1) that may include a hydraulic pump88 and various hydraulic components. The baler may also include a clutchassembly and various control electronics, neither of which is shown inFIG. 2 but which are necessary for operation of the baler as will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art. A clutch assembly isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,825 which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the conveyor 90 comprises aplurality of endless belts 92 that are wrapped around rolls 94, 96 formovement. The top surface 98 of the conveyor belts 92 define a movableaccumulating and conveying surface for receiving crop material 16 fromthe pickup 18 and conveying the crop material 16 to an inlet 110 of abaling chamber 66 of the baler 12. The conveyor belts 92 may be arrangedto extend from a forward or receiving end 112 located adjacent thepickup 18 to a rear or output end 114 adjacent the inlet 110 of thebaler 12. The conveyor belts 92 may comprise a plurality of parallelspaced endless belts wrapped around the rolls 94, 96. Other arrangementscould be used such as a single belt of greater width. In the exampleembodiments, the belts 92 may be staggered such that every other beltengages a lower idler roll 86. This arrangement creates gaps between theportions of the belts extending below the rolls 94, 96 to allow cropmaterial 16 that falls into the gap between the conveyor belts 92 topass to the ground.

The pickup 18 may be similar to pickups previously provided adjacent aninlet of a baler such as the pickup is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,337,713; 6,675,561; and 6,477,824. Similar pickups have been providedon round balers manufactured by Agco corporation for several years. Thepickup 18 may be provided at the forward or receiving end 112 of theconveyor 90 so that crop material 16 gathered by the pickup 18 isprovided to the conveying surface 96 of the conveyor 90.

In the example embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-5, the pickup 18 is in theform of a retracting finger pickup reel that has a plurality of radialtines 100 attached to a drive roll so as to rotate about an axis to pickup crop material 16 off the ground and throw the crop material 16rearwardly onto the conveyor belts 92 for transport by the conveyor 90.In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3, inner tines 108 may also beprovided. The tines 100, 108 may have different diameters and differentspring rates as desired. For example, the outer tines 100 may be made oflarger diameter and have a stiffer spring rate than the inner tines 108.The pickup 18 may be mounted to a tongue 200 so that it is provided ashort distance above the ground, so that as the pickup 18 is movedthrough a field it lifts the crop material 16 previously cropped andwindrowed above the ground and directs it toward the conveyor 90. Apickup drive roll (not shown) may be journaled on a mounting plate 192such as by a bearing assembly 170. The pickup 18 may be pivotallymounted to the tongue 200 to allow adjustment of the pickup 18. Forexample, the pickup 18 may be mounted on a support member 164 andmovable about the support member 164 by a spring 160 and a hydrauliccylinder 162 that are coupled to the tongue 200 and the mounting plate192 (FIG. 4). In FIG. 3 the pickup 18 is shown in a first orientationand in FIG. 4 the pickup 18 is shown pivoted to a different orientationas the hydraulic cylinder 162 may be expanded or contracted by thehydraulic pump 88.

To couple the pickup conveyor 14 to the baler 12, front mount assemblies188 and rear mount assemblies 190 may be provided. The mount assembliesmay include mounting plates 192, 194 that couple the conveyor 90 andpickup 18 to the tongue 200 and the baler 12 and rotatably support thepickup drive roll 104 and the conveyor rolls 94, 96, 86. One of skill inthe art will recognize that other conveyor arrangements may be employedsuch as an auger conveyor or a chain conveyor as known in the art. Windguards 178 may be provided that extend between a tongue support member180 down toward the conveyor belts to assist in prevention crop material16 from falling off the lateral sides of the conveyor 90 and protectingthe crop material 16 from cross winds.

The conveyor 90 and the pickup 18 may be driven by the drive system 102that may include a motor 120 having a motor drive wheel 166. Forexample, as best shown in FIG. 5 a hydraulic motor 120 may be mounted ona motor mounting plate 168 and arranged to rotate a pickup drive wheel172 which in turn rotates the pickup drive roll 104. The hydraulic motor120 may also be arranged to drive a conveyor drive wheel 174 associatedwith the conveyor drive roll 96. For example, a drive belt or chain 106may be looped around the motor drive wheel 166, the pickup drive wheel172 and the conveyor drive wheel 174 so that when the motor drive wheel166 is rotated the pickup drive wheel 172 and conveyor drive wheel 174also rotate and in turn drive rotate the pickup roll 104 and theconveyor drive roll 96 via a drive belt 106. Thus, the tines 100 of thepickup 18 and the conveyor belts 92 may be driven by the variable drivesystem 102 and the speed of same varied by manipulating the motor 120.For example, fluid may be provided to the hydraulic motor 120 by ahydraulic pump 88 and manipulated by solenoids and/or flow controlvalves to vary the fluid flow to vary the speed of the motor 120 and themovement of the pickup tine 100 and conveyor belts 192.

This arrangement allows the movement of the conveyor belts 92 to becontrolled by the controller 70. Although shown in the exampleembodiment as a single drive belt 106 that powers both the pickup 18 andthe conveyor 90 other arrangements may be provided such that pickup 18and the conveyor 90 may be driven independently. For example, separatemotors may be used to power the pickup 18 and the conveyor 90 and themotor drive wheel 168 would only loop around the pickup drive wheel 172.In that case, a separate conveyor drive wheel 122 may be provided at therear roller 94 with a second hydraulic motor 124 dedicated to drivingthe rear roller 94 with a belt 130 as discussed in related U.S. PatentApplication entitled “Continuous Round Baler” and as shown in dashedlines in FIG. 2. The conveyor drive wheel 122 could be driven similar tothat of the motor drive wheel 168 and actuated in a similar manner bythe controller 70. In this arrangement the pickup 18 and the conveyor 14could be driven at different speeds and directions as desired. Forexample, the pickup could continue to provide crop material 16 to theconveyor 14 when the conveyor 14 is run in a forward or reversedirection and at various speeds. In the example embodiment of FIG. 2,the drive system 102 may include a hydraulic pump 88 mounted in thebaler 12 and powered by a takeoff mechanism of the vehicle 22. Hydrauliclines 140 may extend to a manifold 142 mounted in the baler 12 and becoupled to solenoids and/or flow control valves that respond to commandsignals sent from the controller 70 to manipulate hydraulic fluidprovided to the motor 120. In an example embodiment, an “on” solenoidvalve 150, an “off” solenoid valve 152, and a flow control valve 154(all shown schematically in FIG. 7) may be communicatively coupled tothe controller 70 and used to control the hydraulic motor 120 and thusthe movement of the conveyor belts 92. Hydraulic lines may also becoupled to other components that may be controlled by the controller 70.For example, the controller 70 may control the opening of the closing ofthe tale gate 58 by manipulating tailgate hydraulic cylinders (notshown) and the positioning of the pickup 18 by manipulating associatedhydraulic cylinders 162. It should be noted that while a singlecontroller 70 is shown as controlling both the pickup conveyor 14 andthe baler's operational cycles, multiple controllers could be used toaccomplish the same tasks.

As discussed in more detail below, the pickup conveyor 14 may bemanipulated by the controller 70 in accordance with predeterminedschemes input by an operator. For example, the conveyor 90 and/or pickup18 may be driven at different speeds in conjunction with the differentoperation cycles of the baler 12. For example, the conveyor belts 92 maybe driven at a first speed during a bale forming cycle of the baler 12and a second speed during non-bale-forming operations (such as wrappingand ejection operations) to allow crop material 16 to accumulate on theconveyor belts 92. This allows for the continuous movement of the baler12 through the field as crop material 16 and the continuous gathering ofcrop material 16 by the pickup 18. The crop material 16 may beaccumulated on the conveyor 90. The accumulated crop material 16 canthen be fed into the baler 12 during an appropriate operational cycle,such as a bale forming cycle.

Various sensors in the baler 12 can be used by the controller 70 tocontrol the operating cycles of the baler 12 and the pickup conveyor 14.For example, the bale size sensor 68 can be used to determine when toend a bale forming cycle and begin a non-bale forming cycle by sending asignal that the bale is of a suitable size. For example, if the balesize sensor 68 sends a signal that the bale 20 is less than a minimumsize, then the controller 70 may run the conveyor belts 92 at a firstspeed. If the bale size sensor 68 indicates that the bale 20 is of asufficient size then the controller 70 may instruct the baler to enterinto non-bale forming operations, such as bale wrapping, and run theconveyor in reverse at a second speed, such as reverse. When othersensors, such as the tailgate switch 80, indicate that the bale 20 hasbeen ejected from the baler 12, then the controller 70 may begin a newbale forming cycle and run the conveyor 90 at a desired speed.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic drawing of an embodiment of an electroniccontrol system 400 of the continuous round baler 12 of FIG. 2. Thesystem 400 of FIG. 6 comprises a system box 402 containing a controller70 and associated electronic components whose construct will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill but the details of which areunimportant to the present invention. The arrangement may be comprisedof hardware, software, firmware or combination thereof as would beapparent to one of skill in the art. For example, the controller 70 maybe a microcontroller capable of receiving data and issue commands forthe control of various systems and components in accordance withparticular schemes that may be programmed in the microcontroller.

Schematically depicted are three harnesses that connect the system box402 and controller 70 to elements controlled by the controller that aredistributed about the round baler 12 and the conveyor 90. There is amain harness 406, a mesh harness 410, and a kicker harness 414. Althoughsingle lines are depicted running from the system box to the variouselements, these lines are meant to represent multiple wired connectionsthat run through the harnesses and are connected to the indicatedelements.

The main harness 406 connects the system box 402 and controller 70 todifferent sensors and switches including a twine arm sensor 420, a balesize sensor 68, a left twine running switch 424, a right twine runningswitch 428, an oversize limit switch 430 and a left tailgate latchswitch 434. The bale size sensor 68 sends signals to controller 70 toindicate the size of the bale during the formation cycle. The twine armsensor 420 sends signals to controller 70 to indicate the location ofthe twine arm if a twine wrap is being used. Likewise, the left andright twine running switches 424, 428 indicate to the controller whenthe left and right twine rolls are turning and therefore dispensingtwine. The oversize limit switch 430 indicates to the controller 70 whenthe bale has exceeded the trip point for a maximum bale size in thechamber. The left tailgate latch switch 434 indicates whether the lefttailgate latch is open or closed. A line 440 is meant to schematicallyindicate that left tailgate latch switch 434 is actually connected inseries with right tailgate latch switch 444 (described below).

The main harness 406 also connects system box 402 and the controller 70to different solenoids and valves that activate the flow of hydraulicfluid to different systems of the baler 12 and the conveyor 90. Thesemay include the twine feed solenoid 450, the twine home solenoid 454,the tailgate up solenoid 460, the tailgate down solenoid 464, the pickupup solenoid 466, the pickup down solenoid 468, the conveyor on solenoid150, the conveyor off solenoid 152, a flow control valve 154, the kickersolenoid 470, the clutch solenoid 472 and an auxiliary solenoid (notshown). The twine feed solenoid 450 actuates the twine wrappingmechanism. The twine home solenoid 454 causes the twine arm to return toits home position. The tailgate up solenoid 460 actuates a hydrauliccylinder that lifts the tailgate 58. Tailgate down solenoid 464 causesthe same hydraulic cylinder to close the tailgate 58. The pickup upsolenoid 466 actuates the hydraulic cylinder 162 (FIG. 4) to lift thepickup 18 into an up position and the pickup down solenoid 468 actuatesthe same hydraulic cylinder to move the pickup into a down position. Thekicker solenoid 470 actuates hydraulic cylinders to move the kicker outand back. The clutch solenoid 472 engages and disengages the main driveclutch to establish and suspend the driving connection between the powertakeoff shaft of the tractor 22 and various components of the baler 12,such as the stub augers, the starter roll, and the belt drive rolls ofthe baler. The conveyor on solenoid 150 actuates movement of theconveyor belts 92 of the conveyor 90, the conveyor off solenoid 152causes the conveyor belts 92 to stop, and the flow control valve 154regulates the speed of the conveyor belts 92 by controlling the flow ofhydraulic fluid to the motor 460. The auxiliary solenoid is available torun optional equipment. Likewise, depending on the arrangement of themotor 120 and the pickup drive roll 104, the rotation of the tines 100of the pickup 18 may be varied. Other alternate embodiments will becomeapparent to one of skill in the art. For example, in one alternateembodiment, a hydrostatic drive comprising a pump on the towing vehicleand a motor on the baler may be used in lieu of the mechanical powertakeoff shaft of the tractor 22. In another alternate embodiment, anengine may be mounted on the baler to form a self-powered baler. Aclutch may then be used to disconnect the engine from the baler drives.

The mesh harness 410 connects the system box 402 and controller 70 tothe mid-mesh switch 474, the mesh count switch 476, the mesh feedsolenoid 478, the mesh cut switch 480, and the mesh home solenoid 482.The mesh wrapping mechanism is optional and so may or may not appear onany given unit. The mid-mesh switch 474 provides position feedback tocontroller 70 to stop the mesh dispensing roller in the correct wrappinglocation. The mesh count switch 476 allows the controller 70 to estimatethe amount of mesh usage and indicate the mesh is being applied. Themesh feed solenoid 478 causes the mesh to be fed to the bale chamberduring the wrapping cycle. The mesh home solenoid 482 actuates ahydraulic cylinder that returns the mesh wrapping mechanism to its homeposition at which point a mechanical break over will cut the mesh andclose mesh cut switch 480 signaling the end of the meshwrapping processto the controller 70.

Kicker harness 414 connects the system box 402 and controller 70 todifferent switches including tailgate up switch 484, right tailgatelatch switch 444, tailgate down switch 486, kicker out switch 488, andkicker home switch 490. Tailgate up switch 484 signals the controllerwhen the tailgate 58 is in the up position. The right tailgate latchswitch 444, wired in series with left tailgate latch switch 434, signalsthe controller 70 when the tailgate 58 is latched. Because of the seriesconnection between these two switches, no signal is sent unless both areclosed. Tailgate down switch 486 signals the controller 70 when thetailgate 58 is in its down position and that the kicker solenoid 470should deenergize. Kicker out switch 488 signals the controller when thekicker is in its out position and that the tailgate down solenoid 464should energize. Kicker home switch 490 signals the controller 70 whenthe kicker is in its home position.

FIG. 7 shows a user interface 500 in the form of a control console 500provided at an operator's station, such as in the cab of the towingvehicle, such as that of a tractor 22 pulling the baler 12 through thefield and providing crop material 16 to the baler 12, that is accessibleby an operator when operating the round baler 12. The control console500 may be configured with controls to provide the operator withdifferent levels of control over the baler 12 and pickup conveyor 14.For example, the operator may be provided with full manual control modeof the round baler, semi-automatic control mode, or automatic controlmode. In full manual control mode the operator initiates each major stepin the baling process. In the semi-automatic mode, the operator willhave less interaction and control fewer tasks. In the full automaticcontrol mode the baler 12 and the pickup conveyor 14 may operatecontinuously without additional input from the operator.

The example embodiment of the control console 500 of FIG. 5 includes apower on/off button 502, a twine/mesh select button 504, a drive controlbutton 506, a cycle start button 508, a program set button 510, a valuecontrol button 512, a kicker on/off button 514, field/total bale countbutton 516, test button 518, auxiliary output on/off button 520 andpickup lift button 534. In addition, there are a variety of controlbuttons including mesh 522, twine 524, clutch 526, gate 528, kicker 540and conveyor 532. There is also a central display 540 that indicatesbaler and conveyor status to the operator during the various baleroperational cycles and conveyor modes of operation. In addition to thecontrol console 500, a remote control (not shown) may also be used tohandle some control functions including the cycle start functiondescribed below.

The controller 70 can have a variety of modes of operation: (1) neutral;(2) test; (3) program; (4) drive; (5) semi-auto; (6) manual, and (7)auto/continuous. The system starts in the neutral mode. At system startup certain checks are performed by the system and the baler and conveyorstatus is displayed to the operator. From the neutral mode the operatorcan press the test, set, drive, or any of the mode keys.

The test mode is entered when the operator pushes test key 518. The testmode is used to check the condition of the electrical system componentsof the baler. This status will be displayed on the console screen 540.

Program mode is entered by depressing set key 510. The operator uses theprogram mode to set the various settings for controlling baler andconveyor functions. The program mode symbol will illuminate. The settingname and the value will appear on the display screen. To change a valueor setting option, the operator can press the appropriate side of valuekey 512. The set button can be pressed again to advance to the nextsetting name. Among other values and settings, the baler can be set inautomatic mode, also referred to as continuous mode, during the programmode and a bale size conveyor scheme selected.

There are two semi-automatic modes: auto kick and auto wrap. In autokick mode the baler 12 will form a bale and await a signal prior towrapping the bale. Once wrapping is signaled, the bale is wrapped andimmediately ejected without operator intervention. In auto wrap mode thebale is wrapped automatically after the predetermined bale size isattained and the baler awaits an operator signal before ejecting thewrapped bale. In the automatic or continuous mode, the bale forming,auto kick and auto wrap modes, as well as the movement of the conveyor,may be performed without direct operator intervention. In the continuousmode, the baler 12 may be pulled through the field without stopping andcrop material may be continuously provided to the conveyor.

The drive mode is entered by depressing drive key 506. When the drivemode is entered the clutch is engaged and the forming belts 56 of thebaler 12 begin to turn and the conveyor motor 120 is powered and theconveyor belts 92 of the conveyor 90 and the tines 100 of the pickup 18begin to turn. The operator may drive the tractor 22 or other towvehicle forward pulling the baler 12 behind it with the pickup 18 downto gather crop material and provide the crop material 16 to the conveyorbelts 92. The operation of the various modes of the baler 12 may besimilar to the disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,561 entitled “RoundBaler Semi-Automatically Sequenced Operating Cycles and SelectivelyVariable Point of Operator Intervention”, which is incorporated byreference herein, and include the bale forming, bale wrapping, and baleejection modes which may operated semi-automatically with some operatorintervention or fully automatically without operator intervention. Ineither case, the operation of the conveyor 90 may be operatedautomatically in response to the various modes of the baler 12. Forexample, the conveyor may be programmed to move in response to thedifferent operational modes of the baler 12, whether the modes of thebaler 12 are performed automatically, semi-automatically, or manually.The drive mode key 506 may be depressed whether manual mode,semi-automatic mode, or automatic (continuous) mode will be employed tocontrol the baler operational cycles. In semi-automatic mode, as thebaler 12 completes all of the cycles for creating and ejecting a bale 20it will automatically return to the drive mode for subsequent cycles asfurther described below. In the automatic (continuous) mode the baler 12and the conveyor 90 may continuously switch between the various modesuntil instructed otherwise and so that the baler 12 can be continuouslypulled through the field and continuously fed crop material.

The semi-automatic baler mode may be entered by first selecting one ofthe two modes, auto kick or auto wrap, during the program mode and thendepressing the drive key 506 as previously described. The automatic orcontinuous mode can be entered by selecting the continuous mode duringthe program mode and then depressing the drive key 506 as previouslydescribed. The manual mode can be entered at any time by pressing one ofthe manual keys. Once in manual mode, the operator controls the formingcycle by controlling the clutch with the clutch button 526, the wrappingcycle by depressing either the mesh button 522 or twine button 524, theejecting cycle by controlling the tailgate with the gate button 528 andthe kicker with the kicker button 530, and the pickup conveyor bepressing the conveyor button 532. The pickup button 534 may be used toraise and lower the pickup 18. In addition to the conveyor on/offbutton, a conveyor speed button 550 and conveyor direction button 552may be provided to manually control the speed and direction of theconveyor 90 in when the system is operating in the manual and/orsemi-automatic modes. These buttons 550, 552 would send signals to thecontroller 70 for manipulating the flow control valve 154 and the driveroll 94.

The baler 12 and conveyor 90 may operate as follows. The variabledisplacement pump 88 within the baler receives energy from the powertake-off of the vehicle 22 and pressurizes the system. When the operatorsignals the beginning of the bale formation cycle by depressing drivekey 506, the electronic controller 70 sends a signal to the clutchsolenoid 472 which engages the clutch causing the starter roll 26 andthe forming belts 56 to turn. For example, the controller 70 may sends asignal to the conveyor on solenoid 150 and flow control valve 154 topower the motor 120 to operate the motor drive wheel 166 to turn theconveyor roll 94 and the pickup roll 104 to move the conveyor belts 92and pickup tines 100 at a desired speed.

The operator may move the baler 12 through the field by towing the baler12 behind a tractor 22 and use the pickup 18 to gather crop material 16and provide it to the conveyor belts 92. The conveyor belts 92 conveythe received crop material to an inlet 110 of the baling chamber 66 ofthe baler 12 when the belts 92 are run in a feed direction. Anintermediate feeder 196 may be provided to assist in feeding the cropmaterial 16 into a baling chamber 66 and may include an auger to movecrop material laterally inward toward the inlet. Once in the balingchamber 66, the crop material 16 contacts the rough top surface offorming belts 56 which are moving upward. The forming belts carry thecrop material 16 to the top of the starting chamber which is formed bythe front and rear bale density rolls 50, 52. The motion of the formingbelts turns the crop material downward against starting roll 26. Thecore is started and begins to roll. Hydraulic cylinders pull down on thebale density arm 48 and belt tension 30 arms. The bale density rolls 50,52 are held down to reduce the size of the bale chamber to a startingsize. The belt tension rolls 32, 34 are held down to supply tension tothe forming belts. As the bale increases in size, the bale density rolls50, 52 and the belt tension rolls 32, 34 are forced up. The bale densityrolls 50, 52 put an increasing amount of downward force against thebale. This force keeps tension on the bale and compresses the cropmaterial coming into the bale chamber. The belt tension rolls moveupward to give more forming belt for the increased size of the balewithin the chamber.

As the bale size increases and bale density arm 48 moves upward, thebale size sensor 68 continually sends signals to controller 70indicating bale size. The controller 70 will detect when the bale hasreached or exceeded a desired bale size, which may have been originallyprogrammed during the program mode by the operator. The bale size mayalso be indicated on the console screen 500. If the baler 12 isoperating in continuous mode, then when the bale size has reached orexceeded the predetermined bale size, the baler 12 enters the wrappingcycle or other non-bale-forming mode. The conveyor 90 may be manipulatedin accordance with the new operational mode. For example, the conveyor90 may be sped up, slowed, stopped, and/or reversed during the wrappingcycle as the baler 12 continues through the field and crop materialcontinues to be provided to the conveyor 90 by the pickup 18 so thatcrop material 16 accumulates on the conveyor 90. In one exampleembodiment, the conveyor 90 is reversed so that the crop materiallocated at the output end 114 of the conveyor is placed at the receivingend. The conveyor may then be run in a feed direction during thenon-bale-forming cycle. In an example embodiment, the conveyor 90 is runat a speed such that the crop material placed at the receiving end whenthe conveyor is reversed is placed at the inlet 196 of the balingchamber 66 when the baler begins a new bale-forming cycle. This allowscrop material to be accumulated on the conveyor 90 during thenon-bale-forming operations and placed in position for feeding when thebale-forming operations resume.

In the wrapping cycle the controller 70 may activate either mesh feedsolenoid 478 or twine feed solenoid 450 to wrap the bale, depending onthe wrap method selected during the program mode. The twine wrapmechanism or mesh wrap mechanism performs its function as will bereadily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Once the wrapcycle is complete, the clutch solenoid 472 is deactivated by controller70 to disengage the clutch and stop motion of the forming belts 56. Thecontroller then proceeds to the ejecting cycle. As discussed above, theconveyor may be reversed and then run at a specified feed rate duringthe non-bale forming operations as the pickup 18 continues to gathercrop material 16 provide it to the conveyor 90.

In the ejecting cycle, the controller 70 causes the tailgate 58 to liftby actuating the tailgate up solenoid 460. Once tailgate up switch 484closes, signaling the position of the tailgate to controller 70, thecontroller 70 activates the kicker solenoid 470 causing the kicker topush the bale away from the baler. The kicker proceeds outward until inits fully extended or out position, closing kicker out switch 488. Thecontroller then activates the tailgate down solenoid 464 causing thetailgate 58 to move to the down position and closing tailgate downswitch 486 which in turn indicates the down position to controller 70.The controller 70 then causes kicker solenoid 470 to deactivate. Thetailgate latch switches 434, 444 close, causing the clutch solenoid 472to energize and forming belts 56 to turn. Deactivation of the kickersolenoid 470 causes the kicker to return home, closing the kicker homeswitch 490. The baler 12 then immediately begins a new forming cycle asdiscussed above and the controller 70 begins to feed the crop material16 into the baling chamber.

If the operator selects the autowrap semi-automatic mode, the baler willform the bale as described above and, after a short delay, proceeddirectly to the wrap cycle to wrap the bale without operatorintervention. The baler will then await operator intervention comprisedof pressing cycle start key 508 or the remote cycle start switch beforebeginning the ejecting cycle. After receiving operator input, the baler12 will raise the tailgate 58, unload the bale from the chamber, sendthe kicker out, lower the tailgate, and send the kicker home, all aspreviously described. When the tailgate latches 434, 444 are closed, thedrive forward arrow may illuminate on display 540. The conveyor 90 canautomatically adapt its speed in response to the different modes of thebaler 12. Likewise, in a fully automatic (continuous) mode, the baler 12can move through the various bale forming, wrapping, and ejecting cycleswithout operator intervention and the conveyor's movement automaticallychanged in accordance with the different operational cycles of the baler12. If operating in a non-continuous mode, such as the manual orsemi-automatic modes, then the operator can control pickup conveyor 14by use of the conveyor on/off button 532 the conveyor speed button 550,the conveyor direction button 552, and the pickup button 534 on thecontrol console 500.

FIG. 8 shows an example flow diagram of a method 600 for a pickupconveyor 14 for use with a continuous baler 12 in which the baler 12 canbe continuously moved through the field and operated through its variousoperational cycles without stopping and which allows for the continuousgathering of crop material 16. At block 602 crop material 16 is gatheredby a pickup and provided to the conveyor 90. At block 604 the cropmaterial 16 is fed to a baling chamber of a baler 12. For example, theconveyor 90 may be run in a feed direction to convey the crop material16 to an inlet of a baling chamber 66. At block 606 the conveyor 12 maycease to provide the crop material 16 to baler during non-bale formingoperations. For example the conveyor 90 may be stopped or run in areverse direction. At block 608 crop material is accumulated on theconveyor 90 during non-bale forming operations of the baler. Forexample, the pickup 18 may continue to provide crop material 16 to theconveyor when the conveyor is operated is stopped or operated in anon-feed direction. This allows the baler 12 to be continuously pulledthrough the field as the pickup continues the gathering of the cropmaterial 16. At block 610, the crop material is then fed into the baler12. This allows for the accumulated crop material to be fed into thebaler 12 for baling.

FIG. 9 shows an example embodiment of a method 700 of providing cropmaterial 16 to a round baler. At block 702 the pickup conveyor 14 isactivated. For example, as discussed above, an operator may use a userinterface 500 to activate the pickup conveyor 14. At block 704 theconveyor is run in a feed direction at a first speed to convey cropmaterial 16 to the baling chamber 66 of the baler. For example, thepickup 18 may provide crop material 16 to the conveyor 90 which in turnconveys it to the baling chamber 66 of the baler 12. In an exampleembodiment the feed of the conveyor belts 92 of the conveyor 14 may be600 feet/minute. At block 704 a determination is made as to whether abale-forming mode of the baler is complete. For example, the bale sizesensor 68 may be used to determine whether the bale has reached adesired size for wrapping and ejection. If the bale has not reached thedesired size, then the conveyor may continue operating at the feedspeed. If the bale-forming mode is complete (such as where the bale hasreached a desired size) the conveyor is reversed to an initializedcondition. For example, the conveyor may be reversed such that a pointof the conveyor belt 92 that is adjacent the inlet 110 of the balingchamber 66 when the bale-forming operation is completed, is moved to apoint adjacent the pickup 18. At block 710 the conveyor is run at acoincident speed such that a point on the conveyor 90 located adjacentthe pickup at the start of the non-bale-forming operation will belocated adjacent the inlet 110 of the baling chamber upon completion ofthe non-bale-forming operation (and the start of a new bale-formingoperation). At block 712 a determination is made whether thenon-bale-forming mode is complete. If it is not complete, then theconveyor continues to be run at a coincident speed. If the non-baleforming mode is complete, then the conveyor is run at a feed rate atblock 704.

It should be noted that, whereas three particular operation cycles,bale-forming, bale-wrapping, and bale ejection, have been discussed, theterm “cycle” is meant to incorporate other existing or future operationsthat could be performed by a baler and is not limited to theafore-mentioned three cycles. Thus, many other cycles could be performedby the baler 12, and the conveyor 90 adjusted in response to the variouscycles. Furthermore, for convenience the term “mode” has been used todescribe the movement and operation of the conveyor 90. It should benoted that the conveyor may be manipulated during the various modes tochange speed (including direction or zero speed) and that while in someexample embodiments the conveyor mode corresponds with the operationalcycles of the baler, other modes of operation could be employedindependently of the baler cycles and the various modes of the conveyormay last for longer or shorter periods than the baler operational modes.Furthermore, for convenience the terms bale forming mode and non-baleforming mode may be used to indicate when the baler is forming a baleand when the baler is not forming a bale. Each of these modes maycomprise multiple sub-modes. For example, the non-bale forming modecomprise a wrapping and/or ejection mode.

FIGS. 10 and 11A-11L show example embodiments of the operation of acontinuous round baler 12 and will be discussed together. FIG. 11A showsa schematic of a continuous baler 12 and a pickup conveyor 14 includinga pickup 18 and conveyor 90 in an initial condition prior to starting.The conveyor extends a length L between the pickup 18 and a balingchamber of the baler 12. In an example embodiment the length L may begreater than five feet such as around 10 feet. This provides sufficientsurface area for the accumulation of crop material 16 of significantvolume, such as alfalfa, which may later be fed into the baling chamber66. Thus, unlike prior art baler in which a pickup 18 is placed adjacentto an inlet of a baling chamber, the pickup 18 of the example embodimentmay be displaced from the baling chamber 66.

The pickup 18, conveyor 90, and baling chamber 66 of the baler 12 arestarted at blocks 802, 804, and 806 respectively in FIG. 10. As shown inFIG. 10B and block 812 in FIG. 10 the pickup 18 rotates to provide cropmaterial 16 to the conveyor 90. As shown in FIG. 11B and at block 814the conveyor 90 is operated in a feed direction as shown by arrow. Thebaler 12 enters a bale forming mode (block 816). Thusly, crop material16 is gathered by the pickup 18 and fed to the balilng chamber 66 by theconveyor to form a bale 20 (FIGS. 11B-11F).

Once the bale 20 reaches a desired size, such as when the bale sizesensor 69 indicates the bale is of sufficient size, the controller 70ends the bale forming mode (FIG. 11G and block 826) and directs theconveyor to reverse to a initialized condition (FIGS. 11H and 11I andblock 834). As shown in FIGS. 11G, when the baler ends the bale-formingcycle, a point A on the conveyor is adjacent the baler 12 at the outputend. As seen in FIGS. 11H and 11I, the conveyor 90 may be run in areverse direction so that the point A of the conveyor belt 92 ispositioned at the inlet 110 of the baling chamber 66, referred to as aninitialized position. Thus the crop material 16 that is on the conveyor90 when the bale-forming operation of the baler 12 is stopped is movedadjacent the pickup 18.

As seen in block 844 and FIGS. 11J and 11K, the conveyor may then beoperated at a coincident speed during the Non-bale-forming operationalcycles (block 836) of the baler 12, which in this example include a balewrap cycle (block 846) and a bale ejection cycle (856). The coincidentspeed is the speed required for the point A on the conveyor 90 to movefrom the initialized position shown in FIG. 11I to a feed positionadjacent the inlet of the baling chamber 66 shown in FIG. 11K during theNon-Bale Forming mode. Thus, when the Non-bale-forming mode ends (block866) and/or a new Bale-forming mode begins the conveyor 90 ends thecoincident speed (block 864) and runs at the feed speed of block 814 asthe baler enters a new bale-forming mode (block 816). It should be notedthat throughout these operations the pickup 18 may continue to providecrop material 16 to the conveyor 90 allowing the baler 12 to movecontinuously through the field collecting crop material 16.

The foregoing has broadly outlined some of the more pertinent aspectsand features of the present invention. These should be construed to bemerely illustrative of some of the more prominent features andapplications of the invention. Other beneficial results can be obtainedby applying the disclosed information in a different manner or bymodifying the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, other aspects and amore comprehensive understanding of the invention may be obtained byreferring to the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in addition to the scopeof the invention defined by the claims.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a round baler configured to form cropmaterial into a bale; and a pickup conveyor having a variable speedconveyor configured to receive the crop material and convey the cropmaterial to the baler, wherein the speed of the conveyor is adjustablein accordance with a predetermined scheme.
 2. The continuous round balerof claim 1, wherein the pickup conveyor further comprises a pickupconfigured to gather the crop material and provide the crop material tothe variable speed conveyor.
 3. The continuous round baler of claim 2,wherein the pickup is displaced from a baling chamber of the baler. 4.The continuous round baler of claim 2, wherein the pickup is displacedfrom a baling chamber of the baler and the conveyor is positionedbetween the pickup and the baling chamber.
 5. The continuous round balerof claim 1, wherein the variable speed conveyor is configured to providethe crop material to a baling chamber of the baler.
 6. The continuousround baler of claim 1, wherein the conveyor has a length of more thanfive feet.
 7. The continuous round baler of claim 1 wherein the conveyoris configured to accumulate the crop material.
 8. The continuous balerof claim 1, wherein the predetermined scheme comprises varying the speedof the conveyor in accordance with an operational cycle of the baler. 9.The continuous baler of claim 8, wherein varying the speed of theconveyor in accordance with an operational cycle of the baler comprisesvarying direction of the variable speed conveyor in accordance with anoperational cycle of the baler.
 10. The continuous baler of claim 1,wherein the crop material comprises hay.
 11. The continuous baler ofclaim 1, wherein the conveyor further comprises: a variable speed drivefor manipulating movement of the conveyor.
 12. The continuous baler ofclaim 1, further comprising a controller for manipulating the speed ofthe variable speed conveyor in accordance with the predetermined scheme.13. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the variable speed conveyorcomprises at least one conveyor belt.
 14. The continuous baler of claim1, wherein the variable speed conveyor comprises at least one feedauger.
 15. The continuous baler of claim 1, wherein the variable speedconveyor is operable in at least two directions.
 16. A pickup conveyorfor a continuous round baler, comprising: a variable speed conveyorconfigured to receive crop material and provide the crop material to abaling chamber of a baler; and a pickup configured to gather the cropmaterial and provide the crop material to the conveyor.
 17. The pickupconveyor of claim 16, further comprising a controller configured tomanipulate the speed of the conveyor in accordance with a predeterminedscheme.
 18. The pickup conveyor of claim 17, wherein the predeterminedscheme comprises an operational cycle of a baler.
 19. A method,comprising: gathering crop material with a pickup; providing the cropmaterial to a conveyor; and operating the conveyor to convey the cropmaterial to a baling chamber of a baler in accordance with apredetermined scheme.
 20. A method, comprising: accumulating cropmaterial on a conveyor; and conveying the accumulated crop material to abaling chamber of a baler in accordance with a predetermined scheme. 21.The method of claim 20 wherein the predetermined scheme comprisesconveying the crop material in accordance with an operational cycle ofthe baler.
 22. A method, comprising: operating a variable speed conveyorin a feed direction to convey crop material at the conveyor to a balingchamber of a baler during a bale-forming operation of a baler; andoperating the variable speed conveyor in a non-feed direction during anon-bale-forming operation of the baler.
 23. The method of claim 22,further comprising: gathering crop material during the non-bale formingoperation of the baler.
 24. The method of claim 22, further comprisingaccumulating crop material at the conveyor during the non-bale-formingoperation of the baler.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprisingoperating the conveyor in a feed direction to convey accumulated cropmaterial to the baling chamber.
 26. The method of claim 22, furthercomprising accumulating crop material at the conveyor during thenon-bale-forming operation of the baler.
 27. The method of claim 23,further comprising: operating the conveyor in a non-feed directionduring a non-bale-forming operation to accumulate crop material at theconveyor; and operating the conveyor in a feed direction to convey theaccumulated crop material to the baling chamber.
 28. A method ofproviding crop material to a baling chamber of a baler, comprising:operating a variable speed conveyor at a first speed during bale-formingoperation of the baler, the variable speed conveyor configured toprovide the crop material to a baling chamber of a baler; and operatingthe variable speed conveyor at a second speed during a non-bale formingoperation.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein said operating thevariable speed conveyor at a second speed during non-bale formingoperation comprises: operating the variable speed conveyor in a non-feeddirection.
 30. The method of claim 28, wherein said operating thevariable speed conveyor at a second speed during non-bale formingoperation comprises: initializing the variable speed conveyor.
 31. Themethod of claim 28, wherein said operating the variable speed conveyorat a second speed during non-bale forming operation comprises:initializing the variable speed conveyor; and operating the variablespeed conveyor at a third speed.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein thethird speed is a coincident speed.
 33. The method of claim 28, whereinthe non-bale-forming operational cycle comprises a bale ejection cycle.34. The method of claim 28 wherein the non-bale-forming cycle comprisesa bale-wrapping cycle.
 35. The method of claim 28 wherein thenon-bale-forming cycle comprises a bale-wrapping cycle and a baleforming cycle.